Dr. Raymond A. Birchler Jr., GISP, Toms River, NJ

(Formerly of Ortley Beach and Lavallette, NJ)

Many generations of Ray's family have lived along the Northern Ocean County section of the New Jersey coast. Most were directly impacted by the devastation brought on by Hurricane Sandy and its associated weather events. Ray's family has paid a heavy price, and will continue to do so during the recovery. It is his hope that this project will provide some sense of the impact felt by local residents.

Abe believes that good graphic design facilitates communication, and visual language can enhance verbal language. As we are bombarded by information on a daily basis, Abe's ultimate design goal, whether professionally or personally, is to make information easier to receive as well as more beautiful.

Lacey's creative and refined skill set spans marketing, advertising, print, the web, typography, editing, illustration, email marketing, copyrighting, and more. With more than five years experience in the industry she is currently part of a creative team in New York. In the past, she has worked as an Art Director at a marketing and advertising agency as well as a variety of freelance projects. These projects range from brochures to animated short films for companies such as ESPN, MTV Networks/Viacom and Nickelodeon.

After high school Morgan studied fashion, and now works as a graphic artist making kid's pajamas. To balance drawing hearts, rainbows, and kittens all day, Morgan also works in special FX makeup, illustration, animation, web design, filmmaking, and costuming. While living in New York City for the past ten years, Morgan has grown a deep appreciation for growing up at the Jersey Shore. She lived in several towns, but mostly Point Pleasant, and has many great memories of the beach, the boardwalk, and the arcades. Her first job was at The Windswept, a beachfront motel. She is glad to be a part of this Jersey shore based web project.

Josh Jedry, Point Pleasant, NJ

Josh has spent his life on the Jersey Shore as a surfer, fisherman, waterman and lifeguard. Josh also enjoys photography, and has had his work published in various surf and offshore fishing magazines as well as local publications such as the Ocean Star and Asbury Park Press.

In the days immediately following the storm, Josh was one of the only people available with professional photography equipment fully charged and ready to roll despite widespread power outages. Without Josh's preparation and expertise, these images would have only been able to be captured from a smartphone half charged on a cigarette lighter adapter. He's become part of documenting a historic event on the stretch of coast he calls home.

Pete Hauge, Jersey

Peter Hauge is an Electrical/Computer Engineer specializing in “Human Machine Interfaces “for SCADA systems. He has a wide experience base that includes computer security projects, content management systems, GPS/GIS projects and too many others to name.

Kyle was born and raised in rural, central Minnesota. In 2010 he graduated North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND, with a BA in Landscape Architecture, and a BS in Environmental Design. He is experienced in Adobe Creative suite, Autodesk CAD, ArcGIS and Google Sketchup Pro. Currently, he is employed by the US Air Force as a community planner. In his spare time he enjoys working on his snow sculpting business. Kyle is familiar with record flooding on the Red River in Fargo, but had never winessed anything like the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Kris Carrol, Toms River, NJ

Kris graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Environmental Science, and is currently a graduate student at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. Kris was raised in the Silverton section of Toms River, where the storm surge destroyed the homes of many friends and neighbors. He hopes one day after rebuilding, this project will reminds us of how far we've come.

Matt is business school graduate with over 15 years of visuals experience including web design/development, photography, and videography. He recently launched a visuals company and continues to consult on projects from fashion, event, and real estate to travel and adventure visuals. Matt was born and raised on the Jersey Shore and has a strong connection with the events that unfolded due to Hurricane Sandy. Matt offered his expertise as a consultant for equipment selection and image capture strategy pre-flight, and also helped with image processing methods.

Olivia has been a part of several projects dealing directing with reaching customers via social media outlets. In addition she is involved in freelance projects such as visual design and social advertising. Olivia is also freelance photographer, and loves nothing more than to capture the beauty that surrounds her around her home at the shore.

Tim Tirrell, Queens, NY

Tim's background is in Materials Science/Engineering with over six years of industry experience focused in polymer processing, polymer recycling, and cosmetics. Having grown up in NJ, his roots are closely tied to the Jersey Shore. He believes this project is extremely important as we rebuild and move forward.

Theresa Hazelton, Harrington Park/Ortley Beach, NJ

Theresa's family has called Ortley Beach their summer home since 1960. Her late grandfather, Dan Polifroni, a fulltime Ortley resident was fondly known as the "unofficial mayor" of Ortley Beach. Dan fought hard to protect and preserve his community, its beaches, and the ocean for future generations. Since 1985 Theresa's parents' have had a home in Ortley. This home has served as a gathering place for the entire family, which includes seven grandchildren. They are the fourth generation to celebrate summers in Ortley Beach.

In the early morning hours after the storm, Theresa and Gil were in contact to check in, and try to get information about the fate of Theresa's family home. Together they discussed options for getting information. Gil surveyed the damage in Bay Head, and quickly realized there would be no access to the barrier island on land for some time. As a result, the aerial aspect of the project was born. A day later the aerial photos revealed Theresa's family home was destroyed in the storm. She now hopes these photos and this website will serve as an opportunity to raise awareness about climate change, and reaffirm the cost of climate change inaction so future generations can enjoy summers at the Jersey Shore.

Gil was born and raised in Point Pleasant, and graduated from Rutgers University with a focus in Physical Geography and Communication. After graduating, he spent four years managing outdoor recreational and youth development programs at the BSA High Adventure Sea Base in the Florida Keys, and YMCA Camp Surf in San Diego. He returned home in 2008, and currently lives in Point Pleasant with his wife Lauren.